Stamping head



April 9, 1957 Filed Sept. 29, 1955 w. c. DORscH .STAMPING HEAD 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Illllllll Il .ausm

April 9, 1957 w. c. DoRscH 2,787,950

STAMPING HED Filed Sept. 29, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor WMU/1M 0a/@5CH Ap 9,1957 w. c. DoRscH STAMPING HEAD Filed sept. 29, 19.55

5 S'heeis-Sheet 5 April 9,' 1957 w. c. DORscH 2,787,950

STAMPING HEAD Filed Sept. 29, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 @wf 69 6769 f /Q w I 52969 /o-q W. C. DORSCH STAMPING HEAD April 9, 1957.'

Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 29, 1955 flitCd States Patent O 2,781,950 STAMPING HEAD William C. Dorsch, Jamaica, N. Y., assignor to American Seal-Kap Corporation ofDelaware, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application September 29, 1955, Serial No. 537,428 6 Claims. (Cl. 101-44) This invention relates to stamping apparatus and more particularly to'an apparatus for stamping a date or the like upon container tops or caps as iilled containers are fed continuously past a stamping station.

An object of the invention istoy provide an apparatus of the above type having novel andl improved characteristics. i y

A more specific object is to provide an apparatus for stamping a date upon milk bottle caps as theA filled and capped bottles are fed.y past the stamping station.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of. the above type which is capable of stampingA the caps without interrupting the continuous feed of the containers.

Variousother objects and advantages willl be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

ln accordance with the' present invention a stamping head is mounted on a plunger adapted to move downwardly in an stamping stroke to engage the top ,of the container. The stamping, head is mounted Vfor limited lateral movement With'the top-:of the container so as not to interrupt the feed as the container is fed past the stamping station.

An ink pad engages, the type face when the stamping head is in elevatedposition and is mounted to be shifted out of the path of the stamping head during the stamping stroke. Suitabletiming means are provid'efdfor actuating the stamping head andthe ink pa'd in timed relation to the feed ofthe bottles or containers past the stamping station.

The nature ofthe invention and thev various .detailsof constructionof the "parts will'be bettery understood" by referring to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawingspin whicha'sp'eciic embodiment thereof has 'been set forth for. purposes of illustration. l f

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a milk bottle capping machine showing" the stamping head embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is afragrn'en'tary section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a Verticalsection taken on the line3-3of Fig.v 1 but on the same scale as Fig. 2- showing the stamping head in retracted position;

Fig. 4 isaview similar. to Fig.=3 yshowing the` parts in stamping position;

Fig. 5 isj-a horizontal sctiontaken. on thelinei5*5fof Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is ay fragmentaryvertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a verticalfsection taken on the line 7--7-or" Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 7-but showing thestamping'head-fand v`associated parts at the beginning of the stroke;

Fig.V 9. isafragrnentary plan view showing'a bottle cap as stamped'by the 'present mechanism; and

Fig. 10 is Va partial section taken on the line 10--10 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings more in detail Figs. 1 and 5 show a conveyor 10 for milk bottles 9 or the like which forms a part of a milk bottle lling and capping machine and which feeds the lled and capped bottles from the capping station. The 'conveyor 1t) is shown as supported on stationary rails 11 which are mounted by means of pins 12, carried in a iixed bracket 13, for lateral adjustment.

The rear part of the bracket 13 at the stamping station carries stationary vertical guides 15 in which a supporting plate '16 is slidably mounted for vertical adjustment. The supporting plate i6. carries a stamping mechanism to be described.

The slide plate 16 is adjusted vertically by means of a threaded shaft 17 having a pinned collar 18 which is held in a bifurcatedmember 19 of the slide 16 with its-lower end threaded into a fixed lug 20 which iscarried by or attached to one of the vertical brackets 15. The shaft 17` carries a handle 2,1 by which it is turned to eiect the vertical adjustment of the slide plate 16. A lockscrew 22 having a handle 33 is threaded into the bifurcated inem.- ber 19 for holding tne shaft 17 inadjusted position.

The slide plate lcarries a bracket 26 having a support; ing lu'g 27 -formed with a rectangular groove 23 in which a plunger 29 slides. The plunger 29 is guided in the groove 28 by means of a pin 36 and carries at its lower enda plate 31 which is pivotally connected to the plunger '29 vby means of a pin32. The plate 31 carries at its lower end a stamping head 33 in which type 34 or the like is removablysecured. Theystamping head 33 extends beneath al shoulder 35 formed onthe bottom of the lug 27 which limits the upward movement of the stamping head. A guide pin 36 is adapted to engage a tapered surface 37 of the' plate 31 vfor positioning the plate. 31 against a vertical surface 3S of the lug 27 vso as to maintain the stamping head in correct stamping position when the plunger` 29 and stamping head 33 are retracted.

' At its uppermost end the plunger 29 carries a pinned collar 39 having top surfaces in one plane to be engaged by the free end of a bifurcated arm di) by which the plunger is actuated. Thev plunger is held in elevated or retracted position by means of a tension spring il'which is'secured between the top of the plunger and a bracket e2 the lower end of which is attached tothe top of the bracket '26. The ycollar 39 is slidably mountcdon the top of thc plunger 29 and bears against a compression spring 33, the lower end of which is held against an adjustable collar 44 which is threaded for adjustment on the plunger 29 so as to vary the compression of the spring. The bottom of the collar 44 also serves as a stop to engage the top surface 45 of the lug 27 to limit the downward stroke of the plunger 29. The springl permits the stamping head 33 to accommodate itself to slight variations in bottle height. The' end of the arm il? is guided vertically in a slot 47 in the bracket 26.

The bifurcated arm 40 is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as being pivoted at 50 to ay fixed bracket 51 carried by the slide 16. The arm 4l) is shown as counterweighted by means of a counterweight 52 a portion of which is shown in Fig. 3. l

The arm 40 is actuated by a link S5 the lower end of which is pivoted at 56 to a T-shapedarm 57 which is l' rigidly secured to a solenoid ractuated plunger 58. The upper end of the link 5S is connected to the arm 40 by a pin'59 engaging an elongated slotl 60 in the link 55 which provides a limited amount of lost motion at thebeginning of the stamping stroke to be described.

The plunger 58` extends through bearings 63 in a boss' '64 on the slide plate The' lowerv end of the plunger SS'is pivotallysecured byV a pin 65 to a movable core 66 of a solenoid having a winding 67. The solenoid includes a xed member 68 forming a stop for the bottom of the core 66 when the solenoid winding is energized. Vertical plates 69 attached to fixed blocks '70form a guiding track for the core 66 as the core slides axially of the winding 67. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the plunger 58 and associated mechanism are restored to elevated position by means of a spring 77 which is disposed around the upper end of the plunger between the arm 57 and a fixed plate 78 which is attached tothe boss 64.

A pair of plates 85 and 35a are pivoted to ears 86 carried by the bracket 26 by a pivot pin 87. The plates 85 and 85a are transversely connected by a web 88 so vas to operate in unison. The two plates at their rearward ends carry bifurcated end blocks 89 which are engaged by rollers 90 carried on the ends of the T-shaped arm 57 so that the plates 85 and 85a are pivotally shifted about the pin 87 when the arm 57 reciprocates vertically.

An inkwell housing 91 carrying an ink pad 106 is provided with ears 92 which are pivoted at 93 to bearing blocks 94 which are adjustably mounted vertically in an elongated slot 95 in the plates 85 and 85a. A compression spring 96 held between an ear 97 of the plate 85a bears against an ear 98 disposed on the side of the inkwell housing 91 to cause the pad to pivot at 93 so as to bring the upper surface of the ink pad 106 into engagement with the under surface of the type as shown in Fig. 3. An adjustment screw 100 (Fig. 2) which is threaded in a xed ear 101 on the plate 85 bears again'st an ear 102 on the side of the inkwell housing 91 to limit the movement of the housing in response to the compression spring 96. An adjusting screw 105 threaded into the web 88 contracts the lug 27 to limit the swinging movement of the plates 85 and 85a. This, positions the complete swinging assembly in proper relation to the stamping head. The pad 106 has a well 107 for receiving the liquidink and is partly enclosed by a cover plate 108 which may be slidably removed for relling.

The inkwell housing 91 also carries an ear 110 on which a cam roller 111 is mounted. The carn roller 111 is adapted to ride over a cam surface 112 on a cam plate 113 when the plates 85 and 85a are pivoted to the right as shown in Fig. 4. The cam plate 113 is adjustably attached to a bar 114 by means of set screws 115. The purpose of the cam roller 111 is to tilt the pad 106 away from the face of the type at the beginning of the stamping stroke. The bearing blocks 94 are adjustable vertically in the slots 95 in the plates 85 and 85a as above dei scribed by means of screws 118 which are journaled in ears 119 on the plates 85 and 85a with their lower ends rotatably supported in recesses 120 in the plates.

The stamping mechanism is actuated by a star wheel 124 having arms 125 which engage the reduced portions of the capped bottles and are turned thereby as the bottles are advanced by conveyor 10. The star wheel 124 is mounted on a cam shaft 126 which is journaled for rotation in a bushing 127 in a housing 128 which is adjustably attached to the bracket 26 by means of a pair of screws 129 engaging elongated slots 130 in the housing 128 so as to permit a limited amount of horizontal adjustment. The housing 128 includes a front wall 131 and end walls 131a carrying a plate 132 which is operated to receive for rotation the upper end of the shaft 126.

The cam shaft 126 has a cam 126:1 which may be square in section as shown in Fig. and engages an arm 134 which is pivoted at 135 to a trunnionblock 133 which is longitudinally guided in a slot 136 in the housing 12S for adjustment bymeans of a screw 137 which is threaded in one ofthe end walls 131a of the housing 128. The arm 134 is provided with a shoulder 138 which provides a quick drop off as the corner of the cam 126e passes the shoulder and also by reason of the adjustment provided by the screw 137 permits 4 the retarding or advancing of the timing 0f the drop ott to be adjusted.

The arm 134 actuates a microswitch 139 which is also included in the housing 128 and is adapted by certain electrical connections not shown to energize the solenoid coil 67 when the microswitch is actuated by elevation of the arm 134 due to the action of the cam 126a (Fig. 5).

The microswitch 139 is mounted on a plate 140 which is adjustably secured by a screw 141 to a wall 142 of the housing 128. Plate is pivoted at 141 to the housing 12S and is pivotally adjusted about the pivot 141 by means of an adjusting screw 143 which is threaded into one of the end walls 131:1 of the housing 128.

A positioning plate 145 is adjustably attached to the housing 128 by means of adjusting screws 146 extending through elongated slots 147 in the plate 145. The positioning plate 145 has an arcuate front surface 149 which is adapted to engage the bottle top and position it correctly for receiving the stamping head 33.

An additional guide bar 152 is positioned near the lower end of the capped bottle to cooperate with positioning plate 145 to hold the bottle in correct position. The guide bar 152 is mounted for adjustment on pins 153 which slide in suitable bosses 155 On the vertical guides of the bracket 13 and are fastened by screws 154.

A bottle guide 158 located in front of the bottles as shown in Figs. l and l0 is pivoted at 159 to a plate 160 and is normally held in contact with the bottle by a weighted arm 161 which is pivoted at 162 to the upper end of an extension 163 integral with the plate 160. The end 161a of the arm 161 bears against the face of the bottle guide 158 to push the bottles against the guides 145 and 152. The arm 158 is also provided with an extension 164 which is adapted to engage the plate 160 to form a stop for limiting the inward movement of the arm 158 when no bottle is in position.

The plate is provided with two elongated slots 165 and is adjustably mounted on a pair of vertical posts 166 (Figs. l and l0) by means of thumb screws 167 the lShanks of which pass through the slots 165 and are received in tapped holes at the upper ends of the posts 166. This permits the bottle guide 158 and its pivot to be adjusted laterally of the bottles. The posts are also provided with notches 168 for the vertical adjustment of the bottle guide by thumb screws 169 tapped into bosses `170 integral with bracket 13. The shank ends of thumb screws engage the notches 168 and thereby adjusts the bottle guide 158 in accordance with the size of bottles to be conveyed and stamped.

In operation, as the bottles 9 are fed on the conveyor 10 from the filling and capping machine not shown they pass the stamping station where the bottle necks are pushed by the weighted guide 158 against the fixed guides 145 and 152 to position the caps correctly for receiving the stamping head. As the bottles advance they engage the star wheel 124 and turn the same. The cam 126a which is actuated by the star wheel is set so as to close the circuit to the solenoid 67, when the bottles reach the stamping position thereby energizing the solenoid to pull down the core 66 and the plunger 58 which is secured thereto. v

The downward movement of the plunger brings the arm 57 downwardly, thereby pivoting the plates 85 and 85a about the pivot 87 to shift the ink pad 106 from beneath the stamping head 33.

As the housing 91 is shifted to the right as seen in Fig. 4 the roller 111 rides over the cam surface 112 thereby rst tilting the pad 106 downwardly away from the type face 34 as shown in Fig. 4. The continued movement of the plates 85 and 85a shifts the inkwell housing 91 and the pad 106 away from the path of the stamping head 33.

As the arm 57 moves downwardly and the pin 59 reaches the ends of the slot 60 the arm 40 is moved downwardly to begin the stamping stroke. The lost motion provided by the slot 60 permits the inkwell housing 91 to be shifted out of the path of the head 33 before the beginning of the stamping stroke. The arm 40 through the spring 43 pushes the plunger 29 and the stamping head 33 downwardly in a stroke. The resilience of the spring 43 permits the stamping head to accommodate itself to minor variations in height of bottles. The entire unit is adjusted vertically by means of the handle 21 when bottles of a dierent size are to be accommodated.

When the contact is released by the drop off of the arm 134 as shown in Fig. 5, the solenoid 67 is deenergized and the stamping head is restored to its upper position by means of the spring 41. At the same time the inkwell housing 91 is returned to its original position beneath the stamping head by the spring 77 and the arm 57. The spring 41 operates rapidly so as to restore the stamping head in advance of the inkwell housing.

The timing of the make and break of the arm 134 may be adjusted by means of the screw 137 so as to cause the stamping mechanism to be actuated at the proper time. The microswitch 139 may also be adjusted by means of a set screw 143.

The solenoid control above described provides an extremely rapid operation for the stamping head. However, as the milk bottles are continuously moving on the conveyor in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5 a slight lateral movement of the stamping heads is provided by means of the pivot 32 so that the stamping head can follow or rock with the movement of the bottle during the short time that it is in engagement with the bottle top as shown particularly in Fig. 8.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for stamping container tops or the like comprising conveyor means to convey a series of containers past a stamping station, a vertically movable stamping head at said station adapted to engage the top surface of the container, a plunger pivotally connected to said head and mounting said stamping head for limited lateral movement with the advancing container tops, bottle-actuated means to move said plunger downwardly in stamping strokes and to retract said plunger at the end of said stamping stroke, cam means restoring said head when retracted to its initial lateral position, an inking pad disposed beneath said head when in retracted position, a pivoted bracket on which said inking pad is pivotally mounted, timed means to swing said bracket for shifting said inking pad out of the path of said head prior to said stamping stroke and cam means to tilt said pad downwardly away from said stamping head at the beginning of the swinging movement of said bracket.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1 a pivoted arm to actuate said bracket and lost motion means connecting said arm to actuate said plunger whereby the v inking pad is permitted to swing out of the path of the stamping head prior to the initiation of the stamping stroke.

3. An apparatus for stamping container tops or the like comprising conveyor means by which successive containers are moved past a stamping station in a xed horizontal path without pause, a vertically reciprocable plunger 'at said stamping station, said plunger being disposed above said container path and in the plane thereof, a stamping head having a bottom stamping face which is adapted to engage and stamp the top surface of a container top as it is being moved past said stamping station, means pivotally connecting said stamping head to the lower end of said plunger for limited lateral swinging movement in the plane of the container path While in stamping engagement with an advancing container top, container actuated means by which said plunger and said stamping head carried thereby are moved downwardly in a stamping stroke to bring the bottom stamping surface of said stamping head into stamping engagement with the upper surface 'of a container top and are retracted at the end of said stamping stroke, and cam means by which said stamping head is restored to its initial lateral position upon the retraction of said stamping head.

4. An apparatus for stamping container tops as defined in claim 3 in which an inking member is disposed beneath said head when said head is in retracted position, and in which means operated in timed relation with the stamping stroke of said head are provided to shift said inking member out of the path of said head prior to said stamping stroke.

5. An apparatus for stamping container tops as defined in claim 3 in which said cam means comprises an inclined surface carried by said stamping head and a xed 4abutment which is adapted to be engaged by said inclined surface during the retraction of said stamping head.

6. An apparatus for stamping container tops as deiined in claim 5 in which an inking member is disposed beneath said head when said head is in retracted position, and in which means operated in timed relation with the stamping stroke of said head are provided to shift said inking member out of the path of said head prior to said stamping stroke.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,826 Mitchell Apr. 16, 1918 2,113,867 Weymouth Apr. 12, 1938 2,603,150 Klug July 15, 1952 

